Cheshire Police Commissioner trials Participatory Budgeting

John Dwyer, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire is set to invest £30,000 in The Grange area of Runcorn in a one off pilot project where it will be the people of the Grange who will decide where the money will be spent.

In a press release released on the 11th April 2014 John Dwyer said:

Participatory budgeting directly involves local people in making decisions on the spend and priorities for their area and I want to test this way of allocating public money to see if it works for policing.

I am asking community groups & residents from all parts of the community to come up with ideas for projects to make the area better. During the next week, application forms will be delivered to every home in the area and they can be downloaded from my website.

Projects could be for anything that benefits the people of the Grange whether it’s an event for young people, a healthy living project, a crime prevention idea, a lunch club for older residents, a community art project, the only limit is your imagination.

I am really excited about this project as it is the people of the Grange who will vote on the projects and decide where the money gets spent. If you can convince your neighbours that your idea is a good one, you will get the cash!

To apply for the funding, application forms must be returned by Friday 16 May 2014. Local residents will get to vote for the best ideas from 21 June, when the voting will be launched at the carnival until 3 July 2014. The winners will be announced at an event at the Grangeway Community Centre on 3 July 2014.